Postgraduate study in the Arts and Humanities at Durham invites you to explore your interests in depth, to challenge assumptions, and to engage with the world in new and transformative ways.

Our 15 postgraduate taught programmes (PGT) start with a dedicated disciplinary core and culminate in an individual research project, supervised by a leading expert in your chosen field of study. Alongside this, our range of Postgraduate Taught elective modules offers the flexibility to create a degree that reflects your intellectual passions and your future ambitions. 

• MA Classics (Q8K307)
• MA Creative Writing (Q3KC07)
• MA English Literary Studies (Q3K107)
• MA Environmental Humanities (V8K907)
• MA History (V1KC07)
• MA Languages, Literatures and Cultures (R9T207)
• MA Medical Humanities (Q3KG07)
• MA Medieval and Early Modern Studies (R9K807)
• MA Music (W3K707)
• MA Philosophy (V7K107)
• MA Social and Economic History (V1KB07)
• MA TESOL and Applied Linguistics
• MA Theology and Religion (V8K407)
• MA Translation Studies (R9K107)
• MA Visual Culture (R9T307)

Across our Faculty - Classics and Ancient History, English Studies, History, Modern Languages and Cultures, Music, Philosophy and Theology and Religion - you can choose from a carefully curated selection of electives offered across our departments.

Interdisciplinary by design

Our teaching and research are guided by the Transformative Humanities framework: a commitment to understanding how humanistic knowledge can enrich, shape and transform lives.

In this spirit, our programmes promote interdisciplinary study. You will be encouraged to:

• Connect ideas across disciplines and traditions
• Develop the ability to analyse complex issues from multiple perspectives
• Work collaboratively with scholars and students from diverse fields

This way of learning equips you to navigate a rapidly changing world, where creativity, reflection, and cross-disciplinary insight are increasingly valued.

Breadth - Depth - Your direction

Your postgraduate degree can be shaped around the themes that matter to you,  whether you want to remain close to your chosen discipline or reach more widely across our range of elective modules. Possible areas of exploration include: 

• Environment & sustainability
• Ethics, philosophy & the human condition
• Cultural memory, identity & belonging
• Creativity, performance & artistic practice
• Language, communication & global societies

These are not fixed pathways, but starting points for personalised academic journeys, supported by expert teaching and a carefully curated selection of elective modules. You will be guided by your Programme Director in making a meaningful choice of electives. 

Enhancing your prospects

Studying across disciplines broadens your intellectual horizons and strengthens your employability.

Graduates who can think critically, communicate clearly, collaborate effectively, and work creatively across areas of knowledge¹ are in high demand across sectors such as:

• Cultural and heritage organisations

• Creative industries

• Media, publishing, and communications

• Education and academic research

• Policy, NGOs, and international organisations

• Public engagement and community leadership

^{1 World Economic Forum. (2025, January 7). The Future of Jobs Report 2025: 3. Skills outlook. https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/in-full/3-skills-outlook/}

What’s coming next

We are currently curating illustrative study pathways to help you see how modules can be combined to reflect your interests.

Be sure to visit again in January 2026 to see how your postgraduate journey could take shape.